1.9/10
Version Notes
This lens is styled after the old pre-AI Nikkor lenses. Unlike those older Nikkors this lens will fit on any Nikon camera body (film or digital) since 1959 without modification. It also functions on any of those bodys, unlike any Nikkor lens, because it has all three of Nikon's metering systems (bunny ears, aperture indexing and a micro chip). Also unlike Nikkor lenses this one uses leaded glass, which is claimed to have a higher light transmission.
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Nikon F
2016 - Now
SL IIs / AI-S
Manual
58mm
f/1.4 - f/16
(whole)
9
0.45m
55mm (metal)
7/6
320g
46mm
41.5°
Separate
Hotspot Performance Notes
This is one of the worst standard lenses I have tried and that's saying something. All Voigtlander lenses I've tried have been very poor for IR, perhaps due to the coatings they use. Faster lenses do tend to be worse for IR too, so that isn't helping here either.
Alternatives
If you're looking for a fast standard lens that's good for IR on the Nikon system then I highly recommend the considerably older Nikkor-S Pre-AI 55mm f/1.2, if it fits on your camera (it would need to be AI converted for most newer Nikon cameras). I used it mostly on a mirrorless camera, so it adapts fine unconverted. It can be picked up second hand for less than the Voigtlander and has a slightly bigger aperture (45.8mm vs 41.4mm), if that's what you're after. The Nikkor has much more character than the Voigtlander (isn't as sharp, mostly in the corners), but some people will see that as a bonus. Although I haven't run it through this test - the newer Nikkor AI-S 50mm f/1.2 is not quite as good for IR, but still much better than the Voigtlander 58mm.